Category: Tutorial Tuesday

I’m going to try this recipe feature again. Hopefully it works right this time and only publishes once. I was asked to post a budget-stretching recipe today, so I decided to share my Chicken Cabbage Soup, which is based on Anytime Soup found in The Schwarzbein Principle. If I’m really honest, it is just a variant based on what I had and felt like putting in it. Continue reading “Chicken Cabbage Soup {Recipe}”

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that we receive food stamps to supplement our income. You also probably know that I have particular standards for what food we eat. There are many examples on the internet about food stamp budget challenges to help people understand what it is like to live on such a budget. Since this is something I have done every month for nearly 13 years, I thought I would share what a month of food looks like in my house. According to food stamps we should be able to feed our family on $218.20/week, or $872.80 for four weeks. Why am I counting four weeks instead of a full month? Continue reading “Food stamp budget in action – July 2016”

Previously, we walked through the factors that determine how much food stamp assistance you receive. We talked about different types of income, and about deductions, and how much you are expected to contribute to your own grocery budget. We also previously talked about what kinds of food you can get with your benefits, and how to really make them work hard for you. So now that you have food stamps, let’s take a look at where you can spend them.

Food stamps are for food, right? Well, yes, but there are exceptions. It is generally well known that food stamps are used to buy groceries, but not all food is equally eligible. There are certain places where you can use them, and places where you cannot, which we will cover in our next post. Here we will go over some of the things you may never have thought of when planning your grocery budget.

Have you ever wondered how food stamps are calculated? With so many families receiving assistance from the government in the form of food stamps these days, you may have wondered if you or someone you love is eligible. You may have applied and received a letter of determination with a table of numbers that looked confusing. I will walk you through the math as done in the state of New Hampshire (where I live) so you can better understand it and use that knowledge to your advantage.